New York City records worst air quality in the world; health advisory issued

New York Yankees’ Clarke Schmidt pitches to Chicago White Sox’s Tim Anderson during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in New York. Smoke from Canadian wildfires has travelled into the United States, resulting in a number of air quality alerts issued since May. (AP)

The low quality of air was attributed to the ongoing wildfires in neighbouring Canada, where several provinces have been battling hundreds of fires for the past month. This smoke has been travelling across the border and has resulted in several air quality alerts from US authorities.

New York Mayor Eric Adam’s office issued an advisory, stating: “If you’re a New Yorker with heart or breathing issues, be careful when you’re outdoors. Smoke from wildfires in Canada is impacting our city’s air, so an Air Quality Health Advisory has been issued. Try to limit outdoor activities today to the absolute necessities.”

In a special weather statement issued on June 6, the National Weather Service in Binghamton, New York, said that the smoke is expected to clear by Thursday.

“Today’s satellite continued to show extensive wildfire activity creating more smoke across Ontario and Quebec. With a steady northerly flow around an upper level low pressure system, more smoke will be pushed over our region tonight, and through the day on Wednesday. This smoke will reduce visibility and create extensive haze. The smoke is modelled to gradually clear by Thursday as a front moves through,” it said.

New York City recorded the worst quality of air of any major metropolitan area Tuesday at 10 pm ET, said a CNN report, quoting data from IQair. New York City was only second to New Delhi in terms of levels of air pollution. Doha in Qatar, Baghdad in Iraq and Lahore in Pakistan were the other cities at the top of the list.

As a result of the poor air quality, many schools in the city cancelled outdoor activities and events on Tuesday, said the report.

The US Environmental Protection Agency had issued a poor air quality alert for New England, a day after parts of Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota received a similar advisory. Last week, US officials as far south as Maryland, Baltimore, Virginia and Pennsylvania reported being impacted by the wildfires, said an Associated Press report.

If you live in a place with high levels of air pollution, authorities suggest the use of facemasks when stepping outside. An air purifier can be used indoors and it is recommended that you spend a minimal amount of time outside for gardening, exercise or other purposes. Close windows, doors etc to minimise exposure to dirty air.